Long Term Care: For Activity Professionals, Social Services Professionals, and Recreational Therapists

This is the best reference book for activity directors working in long-term care, assisted living, and adult day programs, and it's the most popular text for training new professionals. This book is down to earth, easy to understand, and comprehensive enough to answer your difficult questions about working with different resident groups, meeting standards, working with team and family members, and managing your department. It lets you see how all the parts of your facility can fit together to make an empowering, healthful, person-centered environment for everyone. It shows you how to provide care that satisfies, and even exceeds, health care regulations.Changes in the new edition include: All governmental forms were updated to the latest version/revision.1. Introduction • Information about the new emphasis on infection control brought about by COVID-19 and the possibility of future pandemics, including reproductions of CDC guidance.• Updates on resident profiles in different settings.2. The People We Serve • Updated demographics, including information about lower life expectancy brought about, in part, by COVID-19 and deaths by despair.• Updates on the Older American Act.• Additions to the discussion of dementia and mild dementia.• Barbara’s story is now in this chapter and later chapters have more information about her.3. The Work We Do • We updated information about the organizations.• Changes to the social services professional job description, including drug review, a new section about working with trauma and PTSD, and additions to the duties related to tracking ancillary services.4. Resident and Facility Environment • No significant changes.5. Meaningful Person-Centered Activity Programs • Information about finding the laws related to activities.6. Meaningful Person-Centered Activities • No significant changes. 7. Specific Programs for Dementia and NCDs • Moved discussion of the sources of stimulation.• Update to Pen Pals activity in the age of Zoom.9. Short-Term Stay: Rehabilitation-Oriented • No significant changes.10. Documentation • Information about the social service initial assessment.• Additions to discharge planning.• Social services roll on the rehab team.11. Assessments • Barbara’s story moved to chapter 2.• Additions to Social Services Assessments for New Admissions.• Additions to discharge from skilled nursing facility.12. Resident Assessment Instrument • More details on assessments included in the MDS.• Update to the CAA information (Section V).13. Care Planning • Revisions in writing care plans. Information and formatting changes that reflect use of electronic records instead of paper forms.14. Monitoring the Treatment Plan • Information about POLST (Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment).15. Councils • More about the activity directors role in family and resident councils.16. Volunteers • No significant changes.17. Quality and Safety Issues • New title for the chapter • Added information related to infection control.• More details about immediate jeopardy, including actions staff can take.• Changed definitions for immediate jeopardy.18. Management • Information on the POLST.• More details on Power of Attorney.• Added requirements for family-initiated discharge.• New information on using psychotropic medications.• Added information related to the F-Tags activities and social services personnel are responsible for.• More details in several of the F-Tags.• Additions and changes in the section on 483.12 Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation.• Changes to Tag F656 Develop/Implement Comprehensive Care Plan. Added surveyor guidance for culturally competent care and trauma-informed care.• New procedures and surveyor guidelines for dealing with substance abuse.• Tag 745, all of the staff are responsible for considering and reporting social services issues.• Added information in the section on 483.95 Training Requirements.• Added details of Activities Critical Element Pathways from the surveyor’s manual.19. Summary • No significant changes.Appendix A: Abbreviations • No significant changes.Appendix B: MDS and RAI • Latest forms.Appendix C: Care Area Assessments • Latest forms.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Best-Martini is a Recreational Therapist specializing in the field of gerontology. She has a Master of Science degree in Recreation Therapy/Administration. Her consulting firm, Recreation Consultation & Best Solutions, has provided recreational therapy consultation to over 200 retirement communities, skilled nursing settings, sub-acute settings, and residential/assisted care facilities in Northern California. Betsy has trained over 800 qualified activity professionals.Mary Anne Weeks has worked as a Social Worker (SSC) in nursing facilities since November of 1982. She received an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York, Genesee, and pursued graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, where she completed her Master's Degree in Public Health.Priscilla Wirth is a Health Information Consultant for long-term care facilities. She is a Registered Health Information Administrator, receiving her degree from Seattle University. She has been in the health information profession since 1980. Her Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Library Sciences were received from Northern Illinois University.